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Eric Ronda, a Greenwich native and Brunswick School sophomore, is the latest member of the Wilton Y Wahoos to garner national attention, earning a spot this weekend at the USA Swimming National Select Camp in Colorado Springs, Colo. After a summer of record-breaking performances and a YMCA National Championship, the Wilton Y Wahoos continue to prove it has some of the best swimmers in the country.
"I'm really looking forward to meeting other swimmers who have accomplished things similar to what I have," Ronda said. "I'm looking forward to seeing how they train. It's a really cool honor, and it's pretty exciting to represent the Wahoos out there."
Ronda, 16, will travel with his coach Todd Stevens to learn from some of the best coaches and swim alongside other elite youth swimmers. He will also attend a seminar on competing at higher levels and learning nutrition techniques. Ronda swam the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:20 at the Junior Nationals in California this summer, qualifying him for the camp. The top two swimmers in each event at Junior Nationals were invited to the camp.
Ronda made a huge jump in his personal best times this summer thanks to training with older Wahoos who will be moving on to college, including Robby Harder, Tim Latimer and Christian Higgins, who set a YMCA national record in the breaststroke. Ronda said their advice and motivation was an invaluable part of his development.
"Those guys befriended me this summer, and although they're going off to college, they'll still come back to train and we'll still talk swimming," Ronda said. "I credit a lot of the Wahoos' success to how close we are as a team."
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